


Fingerprints on an abandoned handrail

by Crimson_Owl



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sokka & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, The Gaang Learns How Zuko Got The Scar (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko Friendship, Zuko (Avatar) is an Idiot, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, alright this is my take on it enjoy, but they all have trauma so do not invalidate it i stan, different POVs, they are all traumatized children, zuko has trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:15:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28192293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crimson_Owl/pseuds/Crimson_Owl
Summary: (They try to ignore how the scar looks like a hand, and how everytime Hakoda comes too close, Zuko flinches)But it couldn't be, right?Yeah you probably heard this so many times before but I suck at summaries so please enjoy my word vomit. (Kudos to Kadez for suggesting the title)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 266





	Fingerprints on an abandoned handrail

When Zuko first joined, it was very awkard. Very, very awkward. Their enemy turned friend was so strange. He stuck out like a sore thumb and as much as they would want to deny it, he felt like an odd piece in the jigsaw puzzle. But Zuko was stubborn and was fighting for his life everysingle day. He squeezed himself into the board and, he fits.

Toph warmed up to him first, and used the excuse of having burnt feet to interact more with him. She wonders why he sleeps away from everyone, but quickly understood through nights of whimpers, tears, and a very Zuko-like figure sitting and staring out to the sky as the sun rises. She doesn't tell anyone, but she would always stick just a little closer to him just in case. And Zuko doesn't say it, but she can tell he needs it by the way he slightly melts onto her touch. Zuko gives her attention and it had been magical when he traced on the letters on her name. Next morning everyone would see Toph's name on random places on the temple. She sometimes hugs Zuko, and not just beause he needs it, she thinks, she needs it, too. She feels a bitter pang of jealousy at how accepting Hakoda is to the rest. She never got hugs from her parents, claiming her to be 'to fragile' and she hates it so much. And when Zuko finally offers her a hug when he sees her dangling her feet on the edge one night? She collapes to him and allows a few tears to slip past her milky eyes.

Sokka warms up to him second; but really? That's out of question considering the boy busted Sokka's dad and girlfriend out of prison. The next best thing happens. Zuko can sword-bend. He'd been thrilled when Zuko agrees to sword-bend with him, and he was even happier when Zuko's eyes briefly lit up whenever Sokka complemented him. However, Sokka isn't stupid like most people think. He notices how Zuko flinches, when Hakoda gets close, how Toph curls protectively around him as he does so, or whenever Hakoda laughs too loud or raises his voice, Zuko would become pale. Sokka doesn't like it very much. There are somedays, however, that he thinks he can appreciate being soft for once. He confessed to Zuko that he didn't remember his mother's face, and how it terrified him, but Zuko told him he understands, and tells him how he still couldn't remember his mother's face from the day she left him. He tries to quickly apologize for accidently letting that slip, telling Sokka he wasn't trying to invalidate his issues, but Sokka understands. Zuko whispers to him one day, and told him how he use to braid his sister's hair and she had loved it before his father found out. Sokka kept his braids for the rest of the day, and despite all the teasing, seeing Zuko's rare smile made it all worth it.

Katara hates Zuko. No doubt she does. Did he really think she would fall for his pathetic sob story this time round? She never forgets. She never forgot how her mother's blue eyes looked up to her and tries to smile reassuringly to her before those blue orbs fell shut permenantly. She never forgot the momment Azula's lightning struck Aang and the feeling of pain and dread might be on par on the pain Aang had felt. He hadn't even screamed. He just fell, fell, fell and she was afraid that if she hadn't been there to catch him Aang would've been swallowed whole in the ground. And all those weeks she spent a drift? Desperately, hoplessly healing him, and tried not to think about how quiet he was? She never forgot. And most importantly, when Zuko turned and blasted fire at them, all Katara wanted more to do was to scream and cry at the hurt she was feeling. She3 kept waiting for it, for the momment when Zuko would smirk and blast fire at them, the momment he assassinates the avatar, assassinates Aang and she would be the one who says 'I told you so'. But he doesn't. He tries to help her and she pushes away. She can't help sometimes, but relish on the hurt look he gives her. She feels cruel afterwards, and sometimes? She wish she would just forgive him and move on. But she can't move on, and she can't let her guard down, because she knows that's just what he's been waiting for her to do. So just like him she fights back. She will not give into trusting him.

Aang wasn't there to witness the mass genocide of the air nomads. He feels like a coward, because he'd run away from his responsiblities. He shouldn't have done that. That was the things he had told Zuko. He hadn't actually meant to, but one day, while they were training, his mood took a deep dive, and then suddenly, Zuko and he were on the ground as he spewed all of it out, sobbing. Zuko had been extremely unsure of himself, but then Aang promptly fell asleep onto his shoulder while he was spluttering on about how it wasn't Aang's fault. Zuko smiled sadly. Aang would sometimes aimlessly wonder the air temple, tracing his hand on the paintings on the wall as he tries to desperately cling onto the memories he had lost. People would come looking from him (it was always Zuko that came to him first. The boy just knew where Aang was). Sometimes Zuko would stop too. He never convinced or forced Aang to come back. Sometimes, they just stood silently and mourned for the lives that are lost. Zuko once told him that he'd visited this place before. Aang would explain what each mechanic did, while Zuko told Aang the stuff he did while he was here, 13 and alone with his uncle waiting to find the avatar.

Suki was livid at the firebender that almost burnt down Kyoshi Island. She stayed silent even as Sokka embraced his father. Suki didn't really trust Zuko, but she trusted Sokka. They sparred sometimes, Zuko and her, and they would stare at each other, silent. Suki didn't know her parents. The very first memory she had, was picking up a fan at the age 6, and the wonder she had felt from it before she began training. Zuko did apologize one day. He stumbled over his words, and he looked up at her, expecting something. She was taken back at the apology, and...she just forgave. Letting go of hate and anger was the best thing she could do. Before she hardly knew Zuko and she hated him. She hated him for hurting the ones she loved, and she hated him because she didn't understand why someone would do something so cruel, even if it's the Fire Nation they were talking about. But now? Now that she knew him? Zuko was respectable. He respected all gender roles and never once belittle her. He told her he was desperate, and although he never asked for forgiveness, he still apologized none the less. He still wore the idiotic grin that night when she had forgave him, and a warm feeling bloomed up her chest when Sokka and Toph thanked her. It was just so easy to forgive such a pitiful boy.

Zuko was tired. He wants to go to sleep soon, but things have been so good lately, he didn't want to fall asleep to yellow piercing eyes and a hot, branding hand pressed onto his face. He thinks the others are alright with him for now, and after god knows how long he'd finally been able to convince Katara to give him a chance. He likes the small mommens he has with each member, he supposes. He likes when Aang and him stare of to nothing as he tries not to thing about such small skulls, charred and blackened into nothing. He likes it when Toph allows herself to shed of her tough demeanor and hug him sometimes. It felt so nice.

He likes it when Sokka and him fights (away from Chief Hakoda, where no one will hurt him)

He likes it when he spars with Suki, and he gets treated like an equal.

He...he even likes it when Katara finally allows him to cook with her, now confident enough that he won't poison them.

All was going so well, unitl one night, while sitting around the campfire, the topic of the mark on his face was brought up. He felt his breath hitch and Toph eyes him in concern, shuffling closer.

"Uh, uh I, it wasn't an accident."

Now, everyone got interested, Sokka answered,

"What? But if it wasn't an accident...then...then..."

He trails of, uncharactristically silent. Horror and realization dawned upon them, and the sudden modd shift was begining to get overwhelming.

"Who was it?"

Toph whispered the question, gripping his arm. Zuko felt his hand tighten into knuckles, tears began prickling at his eyes and he struggled to keep them from falling.

"My father."

He said bitterly. Tears leaked past his eyes, but he wiped them away furiously. There was a suffocating silence as everyone took the information in. No one dared to speak or move and the only sounds made were the quiet panting from Zuko as he tried to keep himself from crying, and the sound of fire crackling.Eventually, a voice sliced through the deafening silence as Aang spoke up, sound young and scared and vunerable,

"B-but...why....?"

Zuko looked at Aang, and sighed.

"I don't know, Aang. I don't know why'd he do that and I- Fuck, and I had always asked that question. I just-" He held his hand weakly on the air.

"I just wanted him to love me, I guess. So I...I went into the war meeting...and made father angry. I was asked to fight him in front of this crowd, and, and they wouldn't stop cheering for him. They wouldn't stop."

"Zuko...I-"

Zuko turned around and wiped his tears, glaring at all of them. They all flinched back, all being painfully reminded of how Zuko used to be. 

"I don't need your pity and comfort. That was when I was 13. I'm over it. It's been 3 years. I get enough of that from people already." He seethed.

"But you aren't, aren't you? You aren't over it and we all know it." Zuko looked over in surprise where Toph stood. Her milky eyes shone in a way that told him it was tears, and not just the reflection on the light.

"I-"

"Why else would you be crying over this Zuko? You aren't over it. There's many things we aren't over with, and-and that's okay! That's what we're here for, to help the other get over it. Aren't we family? Friends?" Sokka stood up. The others nodded in agreement.

"Y-You would really do this for me?"

Zuko asks, flabberghasted. They all nodded and embraced him in a tight hug. The knot that had fornmed in his stomach loosened, and he sobbed into their arms, finally realeasing years on his emotional turmoil. The others only hugged him tighter, and tried not to think about the handprint shaped scar, and how it stood off against Zuko's pale skin under the fire.

Somewhere, behind a pilar, Hakoda's eyes darkened as he stormed away, angry at the world for forcing all this into such young children.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a mess but I am somehwat satisfied. This better be good or else I'm gonna die.  
> I took way too long on this ;-;


End file.
